This Week in Animal Rights (Dec. 14, 2020)

Capone, a 10-year-old dog who spent 1,134 days in a Pittsburgh shelter, has found a home.

Dogs identified as “pit bulls” are welcome again in Andover, KS. The Miami-Dade Commission voted to require that, “the County protect and care for all animals impounded at County-operated shelters.” Capone, a 10-year-old dog who spent 1,134 days in a Pittsburgh shelter, has found a home. Jelly Belly has launched vegan gummies. An article in the Washington Post about struggling caused by the economic downturn is noteworthy for one reason – it addresses the impact on dogs and cats. A new study which ranks each state based on the rate of people who die in collisions with wildlife misrepresents the cause and ignores proven solutions. Another recent study found that using punishment to train hurts dogs both short and long term. And the Los Angeles City Council has unanimously approved an Environmental Impact Report that will allow city shelters to sterilize community cats, instead of killing them.

In case you missed it:

Out of the shadows and into the sun. Dogs identified as “pit bulls” are welcome again in Andover, KS. The City Council repealed its ban.The Miami-Dade Commission voted to require that, “the County protect and care for ALL animals impounded at County-operated shelters,” including “pit bulls” which have long been falsely stigmatized and kept outside of lifesaving efforts in the County.Capone, a 10-year-old dog who spent 1,134 days in a Pittsburgh shelter, has found a home. What do we owe the animals who arrive in our shelters looking for a second chance? We owe them safe harbor — no matter how many there are and no matter how long it takes to find them a home.Jelly Belly has launched vegan gummies. No gelatin (made of skin, tendons, ligaments & bones), no carmine (made from crushed up beetles & other bugs), no ethical bitter aftertaste from using products that harm animals.An article in the Washington Post about struggling caused by the economic downturn is noteworthy for one reason — it addresses the impact on dogs and cats. “The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.”A new study which ranks each state based on the rate of people who die in collisions with wildlife misrepresents the cause and ignores proven solutions.Another recent study found that using punishment (including yanking on leash, scolding/yelling, shock collars, restraint) to train dogs not only hurts dogs in the short term, it causes long-term stress, fear, and diminished welfare.

And, finally, after 11 years of inaction due to bureaucratic inertia and official indifference, the Los Angeles City Council has finally approved an Environmental Impact Report that will allow city shelters to sterilize community cats, instead of killing them. The EIR was deemed necessary following a 2009 lawsuit by nativist organizations. The end result was that any cat deemed “feral” was systematically put to death, the City could not even refer people to TNR groups, nor could it provide trap rentals or spay/neuter vouchers for feral cats. As a result, there has been “almost a straight-line increase in neonate intake and killing coinciding with the injunction.” Although the City could have complied very quickly, they stalled for better than a decade. There is now light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

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